Removable cooler insert

ABSTRACT

A removable cooler insert for a portable cooler, comprising an insert body having an outer peripheral surface proportional to an inner surface of the portable cooler, where the inner surface of the portable cooler defines a container. The removable cooler insert includes an elongate sealing member positioned on the outer peripheral surface to form a fluid tight seal between at least a compartment of the insert body and at least the container of the portable cooler.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a non-provisional of U.S. provisional patentapplication 60/836,281 filed Aug. 9, 2006; the prior application isherewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.

INTRODUCTION

Coolers have been used for many years to hold and to chill food suchbeverages and other items that otherwise might perish unless kept cool.Oftentimes, coolers are designed in a manner that provides for a singlecompartment in which to store items such as ice and food. Because ofsuch designs, foods that are mixed with ice can become saturated by theice and thus, become undesirable to consume. Additionally, liquid foods,such as water and juice, present in the cooler can also becomeundesirable to consume if such liquid foods are mixed with solid foodssuch as sandwiches that are not properly wrapped or protected from theconsumable liquid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The images provided in the figures are not necessarily to scale. Inaddition, some images in the figures may have been enlarged relativeother figures to help show detail.

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a removablecooler of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a removablecooler insert of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1C illustrates a cross-sectional view of a lip portion of aremovable cooler insert taken along lines 1B-1B.

FIG. 1D illustrates a top-down view of a removable cooler insert of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 1E illustrates an embodiment of a removable cooler insert of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 1F illustrates an embodiment of a removable cooler insert of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 1G illustrates an embodiment of a removable cooler insert of thepresent disclosure.

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrates an embodiment of a portable cooler system of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2C illustrates an embodiment of a portable cooler having aremovable cooler insert positioned therein.

FIG. 2D illustrates a close-up view of the portable cooler having theremovable cooler insert of FIG. 2C taken along line 2D.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to portable coolersand removable cooler inserts that can be positioned within the portablecoolers to preserve food and/or separate the food from liquids and otheritems in the container of the cooler. The removable cooler inserts caninclude various configurations and components that provide for a fluidtight seal between at least the compartment of insert body and at leastthe container of the portable cooler when the insert is positionedinside the portable cooler. This fluid tight seal can prevent fluidssuch as water or gases, which may be present within the container of theportable cooler from entering the compartment of the removable coolerinsert, and vice versa. In addition, such configurations and componentsof the removable cooler insert also provide stability to the removablecooler insert when the insert is positioned in the portable cooler. Thestability imparted by such configurations and components can ensure thatthe fluid tight seal remains functional in situations where the portablecooler is dropped, tipped on its side, or otherwise is not in itsupright position.

The Figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the firstdigit or digits correspond to the drawing Figure number and theremaining digits identify an element in the drawing. Similar elementsbetween different figures may be identified by the use of similardigits. For example, 102 may reference element “102” in FIG. 1A and asimilar element may be referenced as “202” in FIG. 2A. As will beappreciated, elements shown in the various embodiments herein can beadded, exchanged, and/or eliminated so as to provide a number ofadditional embodiments. In addition, discussion of features and/orattributes for an element with respect to one figure can also apply tothe element shown in one or more additional Figures.

The Figures presented herein provided illustrations of non-limitingexample embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, FIGS. 1A-1Cillustrate an embodiment of a removable cooler insert 100 having certainfeatures while FIGS. 1D and 1E illustrate another embodiment of theremovable cooler insert 100 having some features that are similar andsome that are different than those illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C.

Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1C, a removable cooler insert for a portablecooler of the present disclosure is illustrated. In various embodiments,the removable cooler insert 100 includes an insert body 102. The insertbody can be formed of a variety of materials including, but not limitedto, rigid and/or flexible plastics, including food grade plastics,composites of plastics, rigid and/or flexible metals, composites ofmetals, for example, metal alloys, ceramics, foams, and inflatablematerials, among others. In various embodiments, the insert body 102 canbe formed in a molding process. For example, in some embodiments, theinsert body 102 can be molded of a thermoset composite material. Inother embodiments, the insert body 102 can be molded of a thermoplasticmaterial. And in some embodiments, the insert body can be formed of aninflatable material such that the insert body takes on a predeterminedshape when inflated.

The insert body 102 has a first end 104, a second end 106, an innersurface 108, and an outer surface 110. The inner and outer surfaces 108and 110 respectively, extend longitudinally from the first end 104toward the second end 106 of the insert body 102. Each of the inner andouter surfaces 108 and 110 respectively, define various features of theremovable cooler insert 100. For example, in various embodiments, aportion of the outer surface 110 can include an outer peripheral surface112. As will be described in more detail herein, in various embodiments,the outer peripheral surface can be proportional to an inner surface ofa portable cooler. The proportionality between the outer peripheralsurface and the inner surface of the portable cooler provides for theouter peripheral surface to be positioned proximal or adjacent the innersurface of the portable cooler when the insert body is positioned in thecontainer of the portable cooler such that the outer peripheral surfaceor a portion thereof directly or indirectly contacts the inner surfaceto facilitate the formation of a fluid tight seal with the outerperipheral surface itself or with components on the outer peripheralsurface. For example, one such component is an elongate sealing memberpositioned on the outer peripheral surface can form the fluid tight sealbetween at least a compartment of the insert body and at least acontainer of a portable container, as will be discussed in more detailherein. As used herein, the outer peripheral surface is that surface ofthe insert body that directly or indirectly contacts one or moreportions of the inner surface of the portable cooler. In variousembodiments, the inner surface of the portable cooler can include thosesurfaces that define the container and a rim portion of the portablecooler. As used herein, the outer peripheral surface that indirectlycontacts one or more portions of the inner surface of the portablecooler means that an elongate sealing member is positioned on the outerperipheral surface such that the elongate sealing member is in directcontact with the inner surface of the portable cooler. And, as usedherein, the outer peripheral surface in direct contact with one or moreportions of the inner surface of the portable cooler means that theouter peripheral surface of insert body directly contacts at least aportion of the inner surface of the portable cooler.

In some embodiments, the outer peripheral surface 112 of the insert body102 can define a lip 114 that extends radially from the outer surface110, as illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 1A-1C. As will be discussedin more detail herein, the lip defined by the portion of the outerperipheral surface can include an elongate sealing member on the lipwhere the elongate sealing member is positioned on a rim portion of thecontainer of the portable cooler when the insert body is positioned inthe container, the container being defined by the inner surface of theportable cooler. The elongate sealing member can then form the fluidtight seal between at least the compartment of insert body and at leastthe container of the portable cooler when a removable cooler lid iscoupled to the portable cooler, as will be discussed herein.

In other embodiments, such as the embodiments illustrated in FIGS.1E-1G, the outer peripheral surface 112 can define a channel 115, bestshown in FIG. 1F. In various embodiments, the channel 115 can extendtransversely along the outer peripheral surface 112 of the insert body102, as shown in FIG. 1F. The channel 115 can have a variety ofcross-sectional shapes, the particular shape depending on a shape of acomponent, such as an elongate sealing member, positioned within thechannel 115. For example, in various embodiments, the channel 115 caninclude a concave or semi-circular shape such that a portion of anelongate sealing member 136 having a circular cross sectional shape canbe easily positioned within the channel 115, as shown, for example, inFIGS. 1E and 1G. In such embodiments, the elongate sealing memberpositioned within the channel can provide for a fluid tight seal betweenat least the compartment of insert body and at least the container ofthe portable cooler when the insert body is positioned adjacent an innersurface of the portable cooler so as to compress the elongate sealingmember against the inner wall of the portable cooler, as will bediscussed in more detail herein. As the reader will appreciate, thechannel can include other shapes such as a rectangular cross-sectionalshape and a polygonal cross-sectional shape. In such embodiments, atleast a portion of an elongate sealing member having the same or similarcross sectional shape can be positioned securely within the channel.

In various embodiments, the inner surface 108 of the insert body 102defines a compartment 116. As best shown in FIGS. 1A, 1D, and 1E, thecompartment 116 includes an opening 120 at the first end 104. Theopening 120 is defined by a cylindrically shaped wall 122 of the innersurface 108 that extends longitudinally toward the second end 106 of theinsert body 102. More particularly, the cylindrically shaped wall 122 ofthe inner surface 108 extends longitudinally from the first end 104toward the second end 106 and abuts a first base 124 of the innersurface 108 proximal the second end 106 of the insert body 102.

In various embodiments, the compartment 116 of the removable coolerinsert 100 can include at least one segmented sub-compartment 118. Inthe embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1D-1G, for example, thecompartment 116 includes six segmented sub-compartments 118. Each of thesix segmented sub-compartments illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1D-1Gare defined by a cylindrically shaped sub-wall 126 of the inner surface108. The cylindrically shaped sub-wall 126 extends longitudinally from asub-compartment opening 128 toward the second end 106 and abuts a secondbase 130 of the inner surface at the second end 106 of the insert body102. In various embodiments, the compartment and/or segmentedsub-compartments can include other shapes, for example, a square shapeor rectangular shape. In various embodiments, each of the differingshapes can be formed based upon on a shape of a cooler in which theinsert body is to be used. For example, in some embodiments, thecompartment 116 can be formed of a rectangular shape where the cooler isrectangular such that the compartment can be positioned within therectangularly shaped cooler.

As will be discussed herein, the compartment 116 and the segmentedsub-compartment 118 defined by the inner surface 108 can hold one ormore food items, for example, sandwiches and other food. In variousembodiments, the segmented sub-compartments defined by the inner surfacecan hold one or more food items, for example, canned items containingliquids such as soda pop. As will also be discussed herein, the one ormore food items can be kept at approximately a temperature attainedinside the container of the portable cooler.

In various embodiments, the removable cooler insert 100 can include atleast one handle 132. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A, forexample, two handles 132 are shown. In various embodiments, the handles132 can extend inwardly away from the inner surface 108 of the insertbody 102 so as to provide a grasping surface for removal of theremovable cooler insert from a container of a portable cooler. Thehandles 132 can be coupled to the insert body in a variety of ways. Forexample, the handles can be mechanically coupled to the insert body withthe use of coupling devices such as nuts and bolts, screws, staples,among others. The handles can also be chemically coupled to the insertbody with the use of adhesives. In some embodiments, the handles can beformed as part of the removable cooler insert, for example, in a moldingprocess to form the removable cooler insert as discussed herein.

In various embodiments of FIGS. 1A-1F, the insert body can include anumber of grips 134 coupled proximal or adjacent each of thesub-compartment openings 128 of each segmented sub-compartments 118. Asshown in FIGS. 1A and 1D, the grips 134 extend inwardly over thesub-compartment openings 128. The grips can be formed of a semi-flexibleor rigid material, for example, a semi-flexible or rigid plastic orrubber. Grips formed of such material will have a resistive bias andthus, a tendency to resist outward movement or movement away from thefirst base. As such, an object within a segmented sub-compartment can beheld in the segmented sub-compartment by the grips due to the resistivebias imparted by the grips when they catch the object, or otherwise, arein contact with an object in the segmented sub-compartment. For example,food items such as a beverage container can be positioned within asegmented sub-compartment 118 and the grips 134 can contact and hold thebeverage container to prevent the beverage from sliding out of thesegmented sub-compartment 118.

In various embodiments of FIGS. 1A-1G, the removable cooler insert 100can include the elongate sealing member 136, as discussed herein. Alsoas discussed herein, in various embodiments, the elongate sealing membercan be positioned at various locations on both the outer surface and onthe outer peripheral surface of the insert body. For example, in someembodiments, the elongate sealing member 136 can be positioned on thelip 114 defined by outer peripheral surface as shown in FIGS. 1A-1C.And, in other embodiments, the elongate sealing member 136 can bepositioned within channel 115, as shown in FIGS. 1F and 1G.

In various embodiments, the elongate sealing member 136 can include atleast one of the following: a flexible gasket, a flexible o-ring, arigid gasket, and a rigid o-ring. As discussed herein, the elongatesealing member can also include various cross-sectional shapes,including, but not limited to, planar, circular, oval, and polygonalcross-sectional shapes, for example, a U-shaped cross sectional shape,as shown in FIG. 1C or a circular cross-sectional shape, as shown inFIGS. 1E and 1G. In addition, the elongate sealing member can be formedof a number of materials including, but not limited to, rubbers,plastics, metals, metal alloys, and shape memory plastics, metals, andmetal alloys. Other embodiments can include inflatable elongate sealingmember where the elongate sealing member is formed of air tight plasticor rubber such that the elongate sealing member forms a predefined shapewhen inflated.

In the various embodiments of the insert body described herein, the typeof elongate sealing member used with the various insert bodies candepend on the particular embodiment of the insert body. For example, asshown in FIG. 1C, the elongate sealing member 136 is a flexible rubbergasket having a U-shaped cross sectional shape positioned on the lip 114defined by the outer peripheral surface 112. As will be discussed inmore detail herein, the elongate sealing member provides for a fluidtight seal between at least the compartment of insert body and at leastthe container of the portable.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2D, a portable cooler system of the presentdisclosure is illustrated. In various embodiments, the portable coolersystem 250 includes a portable cooler 252 having at least a container258 a lid 264. In various embodiments however, the portable cooler caninclude other components, for example, a water dispenser and handles,among other things. As shown in FIGS. 2A-2D, the portable coolerincludes an outer surface 254 and an inner surface 256, the innersurface 256 defining the container 258 as discussed herein. Thecontainer 258 includes an opening 260 which is bounded by a rim portion262 of the inner surface 256 of the container 258 of the portable cooler252, as discussed herein. Portable cooler system 250 also includes aremovable cooler insert 200. The removable cooler insert 200 illustratedin FIGS. 2A-2B can include the insert 200 which was illustrated anddescribed in connection with FIGS. 1A-1D.

As discussed herein, the outer peripheral surface 212 of the insert body202 defines the lip 214 that extends radially from the outer peripheralsurface 212, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. In various embodiments, thelip allows the insert body to be suspended within the container as thelip rests on a rim portion of the inner surface of portable cooler tosuspend the compartment and sub-compartments in the container of theportable cooler. And, in embodiments that include an elongate sealingmember positioned on the lip, the elongate sealing member can rest onthe rim portion of the inner surface of the portable cooler when theinsert body is positioned in the container of the portable cooler. Forexample, FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a cross sectional view of an insertbody 202 positioned in a container 258 of a portable cooler 252. Asshown in FIG. 2A, the elongate sealing member 236 having a U-shapecross-sectional shape is positioned on the lip 214 of the insert body202, which is positioned in the container 258 of the portable cooler252. In FIG. 2A, the elongate sealing member 236 is shown positionedproximal the rim portion 262 of the inner surface 256 of the portablecooler 252 for purposes of simplicity in illustration of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2B illustrates a cross sectional view of the portable cooler system250 with a lid 264 positioned on portable cooler. In this embodiment,the fluid tight seal is formed between at least the compartment 216 ofinsert body 202 and at least the container 258 of the portable cooler252. As shown in FIG. 2B, the insert body 202 includes the lip 214having the elongate sealing member 236 positioned on the lip 214 suchthat the lip 214 and elongate sealing member 236 are resting on the rimportion 262 of the portable cooler 252 thereby suspending the insertbody within the container 258 of the portable cooler 252. Also shown inFIG. 2B is lid 264 positioned on the portable cooler. In thisembodiment, lid 264 is positioned on the portable cooler by the use ofmale threads 272 positioned on the outer surface 254 portable cooler 252to receive correspondingly shaped female threads 274 positioned on aninner surface 276 of the lid 264. In various embodiments however, themale and female threads can be reversed such that the cooler has femalethreads and the lid has male threads. In the embodiments illustrated inFIGS. 2A-2D, the removable cooler lid 264 closes the compartment 216 ofthe removable cooler insert 200 inside the container 258 of the portablecooler 252.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2B, a fluid tight seal 270 isformed between at least the compartment 216 of insert body 202 and atleast the container 258 of the portable cooler 252 as result of lid 264being positioned on the portable cooler. This is so because when the lid264 is positioned on the portable cooler, for example, by threading thelid 264 to the container 258 of the portable cooler 252, the innersurface 276 of the lid 264 compresses the elongate sealing member 236against the lip 214 defined by the outer peripheral surface 212 of theinsert body 202 when the lid 264 is positioned on the portable cooler252. This compression creates the fluid tight seal 270 between at leastthe compartment 216 of the insert body 202 and the container 258 of theportable cooler 252. As such, fluids are prevented from moving from thecontainer 258 into the compartment 216 and vice versa. In addition, thecompression of the elongate sealing member provides stability to theremovable cooler insert when the insert is positioned in the portablecooler. This stability can help to ensure that the fluid tight sealremains functional in situations where the portable cooler is dropped,tipped on its side, or otherwise is not in its upright position.

As the reader will appreciate, the lid can be positioned on the portableby other means, and is not limited to the use of male and femalethreads. For example, in some embodiments, the lid can be positioned onthe portable cooler using other mechanical components such as hinges,snaps, among others.

FIG. 2C illustrates an embodiment of a portable cooler system having aremovable cooler insert positioned within a container of the portablecooler, and FIG. 2D illustrates a close-up view of the portable coolerhaving the removable cooler insert of FIG. 2C taken along line 2D.

As illustrated in FIG. 2C, portable cooler system 250 includes portablecooler 252 having at least the container 258. In various embodimentshowever, the portable cooler 252 can include other components, forexample, a water dispenser and handles, among other things. Theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 2C can also include all or some of thefeatures of the portable cooler system illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B,for example, a lid, among other things. Portable cooler system 250includes a removable cooler insert 200. In this embodiment of theremovable cooler insert 200, the insert body includes the embodiment ofthe insert body illustrated in FIGS. 1E-1G. In this embodiment, theelongate sealing member 236 positioned within the channel 215 providesfor the fluid tight seal 270 between at least the compartment 216 ofinsert body 202 and at least the container 258 of the portable cooler252 when the insert body 202 is positioned adjacent the inner surface256 of the portable cooler 252 so as to compress the elongate sealingmember 236 against the outer peripheral surface and the inner surface256 of the portable cooler.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described in detailabove, it will be clear to the person skilled in the art that changesand modifications may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention.

For example, in an alternative embodiment of the removable coolerinsert, the segmented sub-compartments can be inverted such that thesub-compartment openings of the segmented sub-compartments arepositioned at the second end of the removable cooler insert. In suchembodiments, the inner surface of the compartment does not havesub-compartment opening. In addition, the grips positioned proximal oradjacent the sub-compartment openings function to preclude objects, suchas beverages, from falling out of the segmented sub-compartments undergravitation force since such force will be constantly applied to objectswithin segmented sub-compartments that are inverted. In variousembodiments, the segmented sub-compartments can be inverted 180 degrees,more than 180 degrees, or less than 180 degrees. In addition, in variousembodiments, other components can be used in lieu of grips for holdingobjects within the segmented sub-compartments regardless of whether thesub-compartments are inverted or not. For example, in some embodiments,the sub-compartment openings can include covers movably coupled to theinsert body. In such embodiments, the covers can include hinges and thelike and latch mechanisms and the like to enclose and hold objects inthe segmented sub-compartments such as canned beverages. In otherembodiments, the covers can be removably coupled to the insert body suchthat they are completely removed from the insert body when placing orremoving objects from the segmented sub-compartments.

In other alternative embodiments, the removable cooler insert of theportable cooler can include an insert body formed either entirely of aninflatable material or a portion thereof being formed of an inflatablematerial. In such embodiments, when the insert body is inflated, itsouter peripheral surface compresses against the inner surface of thecontainer of the portable cooler to provide for the fluid tight sealbetween at least the compartment of the insert body and the container ofthe portable cooler. In addition, the compression can stabilize theinsert body when the insert body is inflated and positioned within theportable cooler. Moreover, the inflatable insert body can include manyof the features of the insert body illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1G, forexample, segmented sub-compartments and grips, among other features. Assuch, that which is set forth in the foregoing description andaccompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not asa limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to bedefined by the following claims, along with the full range ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In addition, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate on readingand understanding this disclosure that other variations for theinvention described herein can be included within the scope of thepresent disclosure. For example, the removable insert body can be usedwith portable water coolers having a variety of inner surface shapes,for example, square and rectangular portable coolers.

1. A removable cooler insert for a portable cooler, comprising: aninsert body having an outer peripheral surface proportional to an innersurface of the portable cooler, where the inner surface of the portablecooler defines a container; and an elongate sealing member positioned onthe outer peripheral surface to form a fluid tight seal between at leasta compartment of the insert body and at least the container of theportable cooler.
 2. The removable cooler insert of claim 1, wherein aportion of the outer peripheral surface of the insert body defines a lipthat extends radially from the outer surface, the elongate sealingmember positioned on the lip, the lip and the elongate sealing memberresting on a rim portion of the container when the insert body ispositioned in the container of the portable cooler.
 3. The removablecooler insert of claim 2, including a lid having an inner surface, theinner surface to compress the elongate sealing member against the lipwhen the lid is positioned on the portable cooler.
 4. The removablecooler insert of claim 1, wherein the elongate sealing member includesat least one of the following: a flexible gasket, a flexible o-ring, arigid gasket, and a rigid-o-ring.
 5. The removable cooler insert ofclaim 1, including a channel defined by a portion of the outerperipheral surface of the insert body, wherein a portion of the elongatesealing member is positioned within the channel.
 6. The removable coolerinsert of claim 1, wherein the insert body includes an inner surfacedefining the compartment.
 7. The removable cooler insert of claim 6,wherein the compartment includes at least one segmented sub-compartment.8. The removable cooler insert of claim 6, wherein the compartment andsegmented sub-compartment defined by the inner surface hold one or morefood items, the segmented sub-compartment having at least one grippositioned coupled proximal or adjacent an opening of the at least onesegmented sub-compartment.
 9. A portable cooler system, comprising: aportable cooler having an outer surface and an inner surface, the innersurface defining a container within an opening, the opening bounded by arim portion of the container, wherein the portable cooler includes aremovable cooler lid; a removable cooler insert, the removable coolerinsert including: an insert body having an inner surface and an outerperipheral surface, the inner surface of the insert body defining acompartment, the compartment positioned in the container of the portablecooler, the outer peripheral surface defining a lip that extendsradially over the rim portion of the inner surface of the portablecooler; an elongate sealing member positioned on the lip, the elongatesealing member positioned on the rim portion to suspend the compartmentin the container of the portable cooler; and wherein the elongatesealing member forms a fluid tight seal between at least the compartmentof insert body and at least the container of the portable cooler whenthe removable cooler lid is positioned on the portable cooler.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the removable cooler insert includes a handlepositioned on the inner surface of the insert body.
 11. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the elongate sealing member forming the fluid tightseal provides stability to the removable cooler insert when the insertis positioned in the portable cooler.
 12. The system of claim 9, whereinthe insert body positioned inside the container of the portable coolerallows the removable cooler lid to be positioned on the portable cooler.13. The system of claim 9, wherein the compartment defines a shapesufficient to receive one or more food items.
 14. The system of claim13, wherein the one or more food items are kept at approximately atemperature attained inside the container of the portable cooler. 15.The system of claim 13, wherein the removable cooler lid closes thecompartment of the removable cooler insert inside the container of theportable cooler.
 16. The system of claim 9, wherein the compartmentincludes one or more segmented sub-compartments sized to hold a beveragecontainer.
 17. The system of claim 9, wherein the insert body is formedof a food grade plastic.
 18. A removable cooler insert for use with aportable cooler, comprising: an insert body having an inner and outersurface, the inner surface defining at least one compartment and atleast one handle, a portion of the outer surface defining an outerperipheral surface having an elongate sealing member positioned on theouter peripheral surface to form a fluid tight seal between at least thecompartment of the insert body and at least a container of the portablecooler, wherein the elongate sealing member stabilizes the insert bodyrelative the portable cooler when the insert body is positioned in thecontainer of the portable cooler.
 19. The removable cooler insert ofclaim 18, including a channel defined by a portion of the outerperipheral surface of the insert body, wherein a portion of the elongatesealing member is positioned within the channel.
 20. The removablecooler insert of claim 18, wherein the outer peripheral surface extendsradially from the outer surface of the insert body to define a lip, theelongate sealing member positioned on the lip to form the fluid tightseal and to stabilize the insert body relative the portable cooler whenthe elongate sealing member is compressed against the outer peripheralsurface by an inner surface of a portable cooler lid when the lid ispositioned on the portable cooler.